Sliced lemon or lemon essential oil in your water - which is best?

Updated 9/8/22

In your quest to care for your body naturally, you’ve more than likely come across lemons.

Adding slices of fresh lemon to your drinking water is one of the basics of self care. Many, including myself, have seen myriad health benefits from starting our days with a glass of lemon water. 

One question I get asked a lot is, can lemon essential oil be substituted for fresh lemon in water? The answer: it depends on the reason you’re adding the lemon to your water. 

Fresh lemon and lemon essential oil are not interchangeable, and provide different therapeutic value to our bodies. Read on to learn the many benefits, and even some precautions, regarding lemon and lemon essential oil.

Lemon: the fruit

Lemons are full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. They are especially good sources of vitamin C and folate, and one of the best foods you can eat to build up a strong immune system. Lemons are the champions of detoxification. Both the juice and the zest of the lemon have nutritional benefits. A quarter cup of lemon juice contains 30% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. 

To get the most nutrition out of your lemon water, slice half a lemon, including the peel, and place into a cup of warm water. The gentle heat from the warm water will extract vitamin C and polyphenols (these aid in weight loss) from the fruit. 

Elizabeth Girouard, Founder of Pure Simple Wellness suggests starting your day with lemon water. "It is a way to hydrate your body, jumpstart your metabolism, increase your alertness and boost your energy levels," she says. "Lemons also contain phytonutrients, powerful antioxidants and electrolytes to support your immune system." 

So, lemon in water all day, every day? Nope. Too much can cause heartburn or gastric reflux for those prone to the conditions. If you have high levels of iron in your blood, limit the amount of lemon water you drink as lemon can increase your body's ability to absorb iron.

Lemon can also thin out the enamel on your teeth, which weakens cavity protection. To protect your teeth, drink lemon water through a straw.

To sum up, use lemon when…

Add fresh lemon slices to your water when you want a boost of vitamin C, folic acid, and many other phytonutrients. Fresh lemon also acts as a gentle detoxificant and tonic for the entire body. The most effective time of day to drink fresh lemon water is first thing in the morning. Remember to drink it through a straw (reusable ones made of bamboo are a good choice) to protect your tooth enamel.

Lemon: the essential oil

Lemon essential oil shares some of the same therapeutic values as the fruit. Both provide immune system support, just through different means.

Lemon essential oil is a highly concentrated aromatic substance pressed from the rind of the lemon. Essential oils, lemon included, do not have nutritional value. They don’t contain water or fat, which are required for a substance to hold vitamins. Their therapeutic value lies in their ability to interact with the body’s chemistry in a direct manner. 

Here’s where I put on my certified aromatherapist hat. Lemon essential oil, like all other essential oils, is made up of a unique combination of plant compounds. Due to these molecular compounds, lemon essential oil has the ability to directly affect the central nervous system, immune system, circulatory system, and lymphatic system. Lemon essential oil boosts the immune system, is a powerful bactericide, uplifts the mood, helps defend the body from infection, stimulates lymphatic drainage, and tones the circulatory system, just to touch on a few of its benefits.

Lemon essential oil does not contain citric acid, which means it will not cause heartburn or other digestive discomfort. On the contrary, lemon essential oil is a digestive aid that can be used to counteract acidity in the body.

Because essential oils are highly concentrated and quickly metabolized by the body, ingesting them is not advised without consultation with an aromatherapist first. From my point of view as an aromatherapist, lemon essential oil is one that can be ingested by most adults with one precaution: always blend the lemon essential oil with a little (like a drop or two - premixing a batch then adding a drop of that to your water works well) almond, olive, coconut, or other vegetable oil, or with a little honey before mixing it into the water. This will protect the mucous membranes in your mouth, throat, and stomach from any irritation. One drop of lemon essential oil blended into a couple drops of oil or honey can be mixed into 8 oz of cool or warm water (depending on your preference) in the mornings instead of half a lemon for immune support, detoxification, and many other benefits.

To sum up, use lemon essential oil when…

Reach for your lemon essential oil when you want an all-over tonic for the body. One drop mixed with a little coconut oil or honey can be stirred into a cup of warm water to start your day with a gentle yet powerful boost to your inner ecology and even your mood.

Both the fruit and the essential oil of lemon offer us a wealth of benefits. While not interchangeable in every circumstance, both provide immune support and brighten the spirit. I encourage you to ask me any other questions you have about how to use essential oils safely and how they affect the body. There is science behind how and why they work, and I want you to benefit from my knowledge.

Learn more about the best way to use essential oils

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